Caneel Cooper
Permanent Community (Grad Student Family)
“The Easter Vigil in April 2026, where I was confirmed, was one of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have had. I was in awe as the packed church witnessed me and 45 of my peers join the church during the moving three-hour service.”
I arrived at Stanford curious about the Catholic faith, but it was the community and support I found at the Catholic Community at Stanford (CC@S) that played a large role in my conversion. My husband started his master's degree in mechanical engineering at Stanford in September 2024. I was working in Texas and visiting him most weekends, and during those visits I started attending Mass with him at Memorial Church.
Beyond the beautiful worship space, one of the first things that struck me about CC@S was being immediately welcomed into the broader community. I joined my husband on campus in December 2024 and gave birth to our first child soon after. At our first Mass back with our newborn, we were struck by how excited everyone was to meet the newest addition to our family. More and more new families began joining us at the 9 AM Mass on the left side of the church, which Father Bart nicknamed "The Nursery.”
That sense of community, and my desire to officially join such a strong faith, led me to sign up for CC@S's Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) class in September 2025. Father Bart and Oriana Li Halevy, Director of Adult Faith Formation, led a comprehensive class with over 40 weekly attendees, where I learned about Catholic traditions and teachings and could ask questions and discuss topics with peers. Week by week, my conviction to convert grew stronger.
The Easter Vigil in April 2026, where I was confirmed, was one of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have had. I was in awe as the packed church witnessed me and 45 of my peers join the church during the moving three-hour service.
My friend group and social calendar are now filled with CC@S events: monthly Catholic grad student talks, hikes and Mass with Father Chrysostom, volunteering, a Catholic women's book club, and the Catholic Married Couples and Families group. I attribute a large part of my full spiritual and social life to CC@S, and I feel incredibly blessed and grateful for the closeness to God and the community it has brought me and my family.
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